The present invention relates to a gas producing electrolytic cell for portable devices, which contains a vessel, an electrolyte, a separating wall, a cap, channel labyrinths and contacts. The presently invented electrolytic cell is usable in portable devices, particularly in devices for air pollution control.
It is known that many technical fields (for example the gas chromatography, the laboratory reactors, the measure monitors for air pollution control etc.) need a stable and adjustable volume flow of a pure gas, particularly of hydrogen. In the laboratories gas cylinders are used which contain a gas of great purity. The disadvantage of this solution lies in that the place of the use and of the storage of the cylinders must be chosen so as to fulfil some very stringent fire and other safety rules. The recharge and the exchange of the empty cylinders are accompanied by other problems. In the cylinders the gases can be kept in the required purity only during a relatively short time.
The above mentioned difficulties involved in the use of gas cylinders can be avoided by exploitation of gas producing electrolytic cells. These electrolytic cells produce different gases of great purity. For example, the flame detectors need gaseous hydrogen of great purity that can be produced from water by electrolysis thereof in the so called hydrogen generators. The hydrogen generators can be characterized by a great reliability, by a low flammability and they require only to be supplied by an electric current and periodic made-up by an electrolyte (for example, a well-defined quantity of water must be added once a week). The quantity of the produced gas can be adjusted in a very simple way, by setting the electric current of the electrolysis.
Hydrogen generators were developed also for chromatographic investigations. These devices can be used in measuring equipment for air pollution control, too. (For example, a hydrogen generator is used in a monitor of "Fidas" type produced by Hartmann-Braun Corp.). These generators are usable only in stationary equipment, particularly having great dimensions, because of the main disadvantage of the gas producing electrolytic cells that they are sensative to shaking and moving: in case of their accidental overturning the electrolyte flows into and inundates the gas guiding orifice of the cell. The produced gas can press out the electrolyte from this orifice and the alkaline or acidic liquid may ruin the cell or the equipment comprising the cell.
Therefore the portable devices are supplied generally by gas from gas bottles. For example, in a flame detector of Perkin--Elmer Corp. or in a similar Hungarian device of "Carbidet" type a gas bottle serves as a hydrogen source.